Past, Present, and Future
by Bre
Summary: Oneshot. Starts at the end of Episode Thirteen. Mildly out of character, but how else would us poor AxI fans have any fun?


3/3/03                                                 Past, Present, and Future

"The decision is yours."

She watched a drop of blood fall. And another. A small noise that sounded like amusement made it past her ever so slightly upturned mouth.

Another drop fell down impossibly slowly, joining a puddle on the floor. Putting out the cigar that had been dangling from her lips, Integra Wingates Hellsing stood up from her perch on the bed and walked over to where the small red pool was, without so much as a second glance at Alucard.

Bending slightly, she dragged her fingers through the thick crimson liquid. She examined slightly before moving back to her pot on the bed and wiping it on the covers.

Alucard raised his eyebrow slightly, having said nothing at her small transgression.

"I still don't understand it, even to this day," she said, not meeting his eyes. He still said nothing, waiting for her to continue. "For as long as I can remember, my father always instilled in me that vampires were the enemy. That they couldn't be trusted and always had hidden agendas... well... you understand..." she said. There was a pause and Alucard waited, again, for her to continue. "Despite everything I learned... despite everything he believed... My only protection was you. He sent you to me. You're everything that I was taught to fear... and yet you are the one I'm supposed to trust with my life."

"With reason, Master. I am bound to your family..."

"That's not the POINT, Alucard," she said impatiently "YOU are everything I was taught to hate. I spend every day of my life trying to 'search and destroy' every one of your kind and now you ask me to become... to become one of you and..." she paused "and the answer should be a simple one."

"A simple yes or a simple no?" Alucard asked, a smirk appearing that said he knew full well what she meant.

She glared. "It SHOULD be a no, Alucard. Without QUESTION, it should be a no."

"Mmm..." he met her eyes lazily, "...but you're not sure that's what YOU really want to do."

"She looked as though she'd yell at him for a moment before her gaze softened and she looked away. "No, I'm not..."she murmured.

His still-bleeding hand remained outstretched to her and she sighed, taking him by the wrist. "Sit."

"As you wish."

  


He sat beside her at a comfortable distance. She moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder "Do you remember those first few days after...?"

He made a noise of assent. "You hardly spoke." He smiled. "I wanted to baby you once or twice, but I knew you'd have none of it after that bit in the dungeons. You're still proud like that..." he said, touching her hair with his clean hand. "And strong... so strong..."

"Not as strong as you," she mumbled, putting a hand over his clean one.

He stroked her hand with his thumb. "You are my master. It is your strength that make me stay."

"I would like to believe that."

Integra adjusted herself and leaned into Alucard with a small sigh. A mildly uncomfortable silence fell over them, to which Alucard responded by wrapping his arms around her. The blood on his hand smudged the dark olive green of her suit. Neither seemed to care much. "I seem to remember this happening one other time before, Ms. Hellsing. Organization in disarray... master in hiding with her monster..."

"You're wrong," she snapped, her muscles tensing slightly. "Even when I was 15, the Organization never came to this."

"I've seen it worse."                                                                                                  

"I can't recall a time where the Hellsing Organization has been without a commander and had under fifty men at its disposal, Alucard," she said. She shook her head, swallowing hard. "We've never been entirely defenseless."

"Yes you have." He stroked her hair idly. "You weren't there to witness it, but it's happened. The organization was MUCH worse than this."

"When?" she challenged.

"Before I...ah... got to know your father," he said, smirking ruefully. "I caused a good bit of havoc for your people before they locked me down, Integra.  More than anything the freaks have done to us...and now I am on your side.  I will ALWAYS be on YOUR side," he enunciated, kissing her head and resting his cheek on her hair.

"Alucard..."  Neither one knew what was going to come from her mouth next.  Originally, she intended to reprimand him, but she found she didn't mind it and, in actuality, kind of enjoyed the proximity. She turned her head to the side, her cheek resting on his chest.  "Maybe if I was as strong as you, we could save the organization." She inhaled his scent, closing her eyes.  "I don't have to fail, Alucard.  How did they fix everything last time?"

  


"After some ... discussions with your family, I was locked up and...  They waited.  It took time...  Longer than it  would've taken had I been allowed to play exterminator for them, but they did was necessary,"he said.  "They trained to humans to fight – mostly Protestant, some not – and waited for their next chance to prove themselves."

"And then?"

"They were ready for it.  There's nothing to but prepare yourself, master," he said.

She nodded.  "I understand."  She turned to face him, taking his bleeding hand with her, his other hand resting on her back.  "If I drink this, will I be ready?"

"I won't deny that it would help you," he said.  "Is a difficult path, but it would not be dishonorable, considering situation at hand. The knights of the round table might think otherwise, but they would be nothing without you, Integra.  If anything was to happen..."  He noted a strand of gray in her hair, weaving its way in far too early, "Anything I couldn't stop..."

"I'm afraid," she blurted not want him to continue. "What really surprise you if I told you unless afraid of death than I am of what would happen if you changed me?"

"You said it before," he remarked, "and I do believe that the reason for your current state is that you would have rather died than had vampire blood within you." There was a pause. Integra drew in  a breath and leaned into him affectionately.

"It's not all vampire blood, Alucard.  I know you're different."  She lifted one of her hands, cupping his face gently, running her thumb down his jawline, as if trying to memorize him by touch. His skin was slightly cool to touch, warming slightly with her warm hands. 

"I wouldn't offer it if I thought it would hurt you," he said softly.

She smiled slightly.  "I know you wouldn't."

He held her, one arm around her and the other reaching around her front.  The blood in his hand was nearly dried as he touched the bandage around her neck.

Her hand moved up and tangled itself in his hair.  "I suppose I have very little choice in this," she said.

"More than the police girl..."  He said "but not much.  At the least, you can take comfort in knowing that you'll be much stronger than her.  And that your neck will heal."

"Will I be immortal as you are?" she asked, her breath nearly grazing his lips.

"Not right away, but you'll be of my blood, Integra."  There was a pause and Alucard got a faraway look in his eye.  "You'll reign above all the creatures we hunt, a true Nosferatu," his eyes glowed dangerously and she backed up slightly.

"Alucard..." she warned.

  


He grasped her wrist, though not painfully.  "I cannot help but be ecstatic about this, Master.  Your blood and mine...we would be unstoppable.  The power...the honor we would bring , destroying all who pose a threat...we hardly need to rebuild the army...we could make sure everything is in order for all eternity...together."

The gleamed in his eye was maddening. 'Together' echoed in her head repeatedly.  She moved one hand to her neck and took off her already-loosened tie.  She looked at the small silver cross. bringing it to her lips gently, before putting it face-down on the table. She looked to Alucard, who was grinning madly. She placed a hand on the shoulder, leaned up and brushed her lips over his.  "Make me like you," she murmured.  "Make me one of yours."

"Yes, my master..." he whispered, unbuttoning the top two buttons of her shirt and unwrapping the bandage slowly.  Integra hissed in involuntarily as the  cool air hit the open wound.  Alucard pressed his lips to her neck gently.  "It won't hurt anymore," he whispered, reassuringly. A small noise escaped her as his lips traced over her neck, finding her pulse.  Alucard stroked her hair loving the feel of the strands around his gloved fingers.  "Are you ready?"

"Yes."  Her eyes slid shut, her irises having seen the light for last time as they were.

Alucard was careful to find a spot unopened and unbruised by her self-inflicted stab wound. Her skin was soft and he couldn't help but run his tongue over the tender flesh. She whimpered slightly, before his voice entered her head. '_It__'__s all right, Integra..._' Tendrils of his hair took life and wrapped around her. 

'_I know it is...I know.._.'she replied, a few tears falling from her closed eyes.  His deft fingers brushed them from her cheeks as her blood began to flow like electricity into him. He cradled her comfortingly, privately reveling in the sheer power that ran to her veins.

He found it difficult to pull away from her when it was time, but he did so, licking his lips, and picked up a shard of glass from the floor.  "Almost there," he murmured, slicing his forearm and pressing it to her neck.

Her body went limp in his arms for a split-second as death took her over and she waited for the breath of eternal life.  Alucard gazed upon her tear stained face and gingerly licked a tear from her cheek before capturing her quickly cooling lips and giving her the kiss would solidify her mortality.

And then he waited.

Integra's stubbornly strong form lay dormant against him come on her head buried in his neck, for nearly an hour as her body repaired the damages suffered and perfected her human body's few flaws.

  


As suddenly as he sensed her collapse, Alucard felt movement from the source of the magnificent blond mane his fingers had become entangled in.  Her head turned to the side, her cheek on his chest, and she slowly opened her eyes the first time in her new form.  She instantly pulled off her glasses and looked up and Alucard, who smiled down at her.  The tendrils of his hair recoiled and only his arms remained.

She blinked, alarmed, when she realized she hadn't breathed in over a minute.  Alucard chuckled lightly, feeling her start.  "Don't bother.  You don't have to."

"Have to...?"  She said, slightly hoarse.

"Breathe.  I had the same reaction as you."

She paused and narrowed her eyes, which were now the same vibrant shade of claret as his. "But you always do...don't you?"

"Only when I know it would startle you if I didn't, he said simply."

She noticed a lack of movement in his chest as she lay against him.

"How do you feel?"

"I feel...different," she said, finding his hand and grasping onto it.  "A little scared actually..."

"Don't be," he said.  "I suppose you'll need blood...and, when you're up to strength, you'll need to drink mine on your own as well."

She nodded not, not saying anything, but bringing her fingers to her lips, the coldest part of her.  "Did you...?"

"I did everything it takes to make you a vampire..." he pause before smiling slightly.  "Yes, that includes kissing you.  You've nothing to fear- it was just as chaste as yours was to me."

"No, that's not it..." a glint shone in her eye and a wry expression came to her face that destroyed any possible thought that the old Integra had passed on.  "Pity I was asleep for it..." she said, her usual dry tone returning.

He felt no need to draw attention to the fact that, rather than being asleep, she actually been rather dead at the time.  Brushing her hair from her forehead he kissed her there.  "You're priceless.  I suppose a part of it is that you're my child now, but most of it ..." she looked up at him questioningly.  "My sarcastic master…"

"Alucard?"  She said, interrupting his musings

"Hmm?"

"Do remember when you said I'd always be the same little girl to you?  Last week?"

"Of course," he said.  "That doesn't have to change."

  


She sighed, curling into him, his form complementing hers, her gentle curves seeming to be perfectly molded his strong, solid frame.  "I want it to change, to some extent.  Eternity as a child...now that we have forever..."

"You know I'd never condescend or treat you like a child in that way..." he clarified, rising an eyebrow.

"Of course not," she said, waving a dismissive hand "but I should think you reaction to child telling you she wasn't being sarcastic about missing a kiss would be much different than your reaction to a grown woman, who besides being eternally grateful for protection, thoroughly enjoys your company." 

"Indeed, it would be," he said "though I would tell them both that we have all eternity for that."

"And then?"  she asked, smiling a bit.

"Well..." he pretended to ponder it.  "I'd continue holding the little girl until she pushed me away... though the woman would face a slightly different fate."

"What's that?"

"Since she gave me the approval, I think I would be forced to kiss her until she needed another of those awful cigars, which, by the way, can't hurt her anymore."

She smiled full-on.  "Leave it to you to..."

He stopped by tracing his fingers over her fully healed neck.  She sucked in the breath sharply.  "I take it you're the woman, Integra?"

"I wasn't being sarcastic,"  she said simply.

He brushed a strand of her hair from her crimson eyes.  "I was hoping you would say that."

It wasn't until her protector finally pressed his lips to hers, in a way that could not be mistaken for anything but desire, that Integra finally began to come to grips with the new world she had waiting for her.  Her tongue grazed his lower lip until he let her in, allowing her to explore the sharp edges of his canines and contours of his mouth.  Slightly surprised, he kissed her back with a bit more caution, smirking as he found her newly created fangs.  She reveled in him and, for a few glorious moments, freed herself from the concerns of her organization, past, present, and future.

The End.

  


(P.S.: Of course, the fact that she was breaking out her paperwork and getting ready to plot revenge the next second is left out for the sake of the romance in the plot...)


End file.
